# Wow! Money for kids and seniors embezzled into Air America! **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 27, 2005, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-money-for-kids-and-seniors-embezzled-into-air-america/314369 "2005-07-27T06:31:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![PinkMarabou](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ec9cab/32.png) [@PinkMarabou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PinkMarabou)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-money-for-kids-and-seniors-embezzled-into-air-america/314369/81 "2005-07-28T21:36:50Z")
Just some info on ratings [here](http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/7/8/92849/52300): > [@](#): > > The mainstream talk radio market, represented by Limbaugh, is down 1% since the Winter 04 ratings while AirAmerica Radio is up 32%. I listen to our AAR/Jones Radio affiliate here in Columbus and my favorite show in the morning has said (I’ll see if I can find anything on this) that her ratings are up 4000% this quarter and liberal talk is doing better since their launch than what conservative talk did during their launch at the same time period. Here’s some other tidbits I found: From [here:](http://demopedia.democraticunderground.com/index.php/Air_America_Radio) > [@](#): > > Listeners grew from 120,000 per week to almost 400,000 per week in less than one month, a feat unprecedented in radio. In June 2004, Arbitron ratings revealed that “The Al Franken Show” beat Rush Limbaugh’s program in the New York market, with Franken getting a 3.4 rating versus a 3.2 rating by Limbaugh. Randi Rhodes also beat the shows of both Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly during the popular afternoon “drivetime” hours a regular basis. From [here:](http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Liberal_talk_radio_trends_ahead_of_Limbaugh_among_2554_i_0711.html) > [@](#): > > Advance trend numbers for spring radio ratings in the Miami market, leaked to RAW STORY, reveal that liberal talk posted hefty gains against the once-indomitable Rush Limbaugh. > > In particular, The Ed Schultz show actually passed Limbaugh among the 25-54 age range in the nation’s twelfth largest radio market. Schultz scored a 3.4 rating to Limbaugh’s 3.2, climbing 1.1 ratings points from the winter figures. * * * As to the OP, it seems there is definitely some legalities that need to be worked out as far as who technically is responsible. I’m sure their legal teams are working this out and if AAR has any connection or responsibility, I don’t see any reason why they wouldn’t gladly pay that back. Other than that, there’s really no debate here. ---
**Author:** ![boret](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@boret](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boret)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2005, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-money-for-kids-and-seniors-embezzled-into-air-america/314369/82 "2005-07-29T01:25:09Z")
> [@Mr. Moto](#): > > Here’s where it gets really hinky. > > Air America’s parent company, Piquant LLC, just released a statement not denying the loan, but saying it isn’t their responsibility, since they assumed ownership of Air America in 2004. If there is any money owed to the club, therefore, it is owed under the old holding organization, Progress Media, that Evan Cohen helped start. That organization is defunct, and has left a lot of creditors holding their hats. > > This is the statement: **Mr. Moto** , would you happen to have a cite for that statement from Piquant? I tried to search it, and could only find a snippet of it on a right-wing blog, which also did not cite the origin. Here is the statement that appears on the Air America website: [http://www.airamericaradio.com/press/gloriawise](http://www.airamericaradio.com/press/gloriawise) > [@](#): > > Statement from Air America Radio > > Statement: > If the allegations of mismanagement and corruption at Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club are true, it is absolutely disgraceful. > > As reported in the Wall Street Journal and the HBO Documentary, Left of the Dial‚ the company that the Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club officials gave money to, Progress Media, has been defunct since May 2004. That company was run at the time by Evan Cohen who has not had any involvement in Air America Radio since May 2004. > > The current owners of Air America Radio have no obligation to Progress Media‚s business activities. We are very disturbed that Air America Radio’s good name could be associated with a reduction in services for young people, which is why we agreed months ago to fully compensate the Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club as a result of this transaction. > > We at Air America Radio strongly believe in the mission of Boys and Girls Clubs to provide a safe and nurturing place for young people to learn and grow. As a result, we recently allowed the same club, Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club, to use our name in a fundraising effort for a summer camp for children in their community. > > The funding for Camp Air America was raised and collected entirely by the Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club, and Air America promoted the camp on air and urged support for it. A link on our web site sent those interested in contributing to the camp to the Gloria Wise web site. Regrettably, the camp did not survive the closure of the Gloria Wise organization. We have offered any individuals who contributed to the camp as a result of Air America’s promotion the option of a refund paid for by Air America Radio and the Club offered the alternative option of having their donation redirected to Kip’s Bay Boys and Girls Club. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2005, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-money-for-kids-and-seniors-embezzled-into-air-america/314369/83 "2005-07-29T02:50:18Z")
> [@](#): > > The current owners of Air America Radio have no obligation to Progress Media‚s business activities. We are very disturbed that Air America Radio’s good name could be associated with a reduction in services for young people, which is why we agreed months ago to fully compensate the Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club as a result of this transaction. Wow! indeed. I’d say, **Mr. Moto** , that this limp rant is now unalterably flaccid. Got any viagra-like outrage to pump it up further? Care to take note of the fact that this situation appears to have been handled throughout in an entirely appropriate fashion (i.e. the guilty person was fired and restitution was/is being made)? Where, by chance, did you happen to come by your outrage over an already-resolved year-old story? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2005, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-money-for-kids-and-seniors-embezzled-into-air-america/314369/84 "2005-07-29T03:34:45Z")
I’m pleased that restitution is being made, but let’s make some things clear here. Mere restitution isn’t enough, if laws were broken. At issue here isn’t only funds that were mismanaged, as the OP shows. The city has cut funding to the center, and transfered its programs to other agencies. Some loyal employees of the center were fired today as a result of the funding loss, and because other agencies were taking over the programs. I guess fiscal mismanagement only matters on this board when Enron is involved, huh? All this because Evan Cohen used his position with the center to persuade its leadership to improperly transfer the funds, apparantly earmarked for children and seniors, to Progress Media, a company set up to get Air America going. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2005, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-money-for-kids-and-seniors-embezzled-into-air-america/314369/85 "2005-07-29T06:40:04Z")
> [@Mr. Moto](#): > > I’m pleased that restitution is being made, but let’s make some things clear here. Mere restitution isn’t enough, if laws were broken. > > At issue here isn’t only funds that were mismanaged, as the OP shows. The city has cut funding to the center, and transfered its programs to other agencies. Some loyal employees of the center were fired today as a result of the funding loss, and because other agencies were taking over the programs. > > I guess fiscal mismanagement only matters on this board when Enron is involved, huh? > > All this because Evan Cohen used his position with the center to persuade its leadership to improperly transfer the funds, apparantly earmarked for children and seniors, to Progress Media, a company set up to get Air America going. I see that no one on the board is defending Cohen, and yet in the end you are still resorting to the fallacy of guilt by association. IIRC LLC’s exist precisely to limit liability. IOW they have the right to actually say to lenders of former companies to take a hike. Already, other posters have shown that even with that, Air America is not sweeping this obligation under the rug, even though they could do so. Repeating your sorry guilt by association mantra is not getting cute, is just getting sad. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2005, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-money-for-kids-and-seniors-embezzled-into-air-america/314369/86 "2005-07-29T11:19:28Z")
> [@Mr. Moto](#): > > I’m pleased that restitution is being made, but let’s make some things clear here. Mere restitution isn’t enough, if laws were broken. Exactly so. Punishment for any laws that were broken should be meted out upon the guilty party. Apparently that party is Cohen. If he broke a law, he should be punished. > [@](#): > > I guess fiscal mismanagement only matters on this board when Enron is involved, huh? Pathetic. Highly unimpressive and entirely wrong. Would you like some cheese with that whine? ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2005, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-money-for-kids-and-seniors-embezzled-into-air-america/314369/87 "2005-07-29T14:42:52Z")
Yep, lame, limp and pathetic. Moto, save your outrage for the things that really matter. How many other things are in the news, or are being discussed right now that are way more important? Note I didn’t say anything like “let’s wait until all the facts are in”, like people constantly do when there really is something bad (but done by the “other” side). It’s simple. Right wing (not Republican, but right wing) hacks will defend or blather whenever it’s one of their own doing far worse things. Enron was worse. Torture policies are way worse. The contant erosion of fights, privileges and freedoms is worse. But, let one schmuck at a liberal radio station get fired or “asked to quit” for being a crook, and the outrage meter pegs itself. Hypocrisy at it’s finest. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2005, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-money-for-kids-and-seniors-embezzled-into-air-america/314369/88 "2005-07-29T17:15:37Z")
I would like to respond at length, but I am serverely hampered, **Moto’s** astonishing revelations have rent me asunder. Woe! Woe! Me golden idols, Franken and Garafolo, the shining beacons of my political philosophy, are revealed to know somebody who isn’t very nice. I am crushed, bereft! (Note to self: find out if Birkenstock supplies sackcloth and ashes…) Blinded by tears, I only hope to see clearly enough to fill out this Republican Party registration form. ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2005, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-money-for-kids-and-seniors-embezzled-into-air-america/314369/89 "2005-07-29T21:08:41Z")
> [@Mr. Moto](#): > > I’m pleased that restitution is being made, but let’s make some things clear here. Mere restitution isn’t enough, if laws were broken. > > At issue here isn’t only funds that were mismanaged, as the OP shows. The city has cut funding to the center, and transfered its programs to other agencies. Some loyal employees of the center were fired today as a result of the funding loss, and because other agencies were taking over the programs. > > I guess fiscal mismanagement only matters on this board when Enron is involved, huh? > > All this because Evan Cohen used his position with the center to persuade its leadership to improperly transfer the funds, apparantly earmarked for children and seniors, to Progress Media, a company set up to get Air America going. Damnit! I just read through this thread and I am pissed off. I am a liberal. I disagree with **Mr. Moto** on just about everything he has ever uttered on this board, and he often drives me nuts with some odd methods of “debate”, but he has a point here! I was lulled into believing that liberals practically had the market cornered on forthrightness and responsibility after seeing all the pathetic excuses from the right that have come with each scandal after scandal from the current administration, but it takes something like this to set me straight. The one truly liberal non-print media outlet has a scandal. Predictably it is a conservative who presents this. So, what happens? Do we debate the problem, demand accountability, and seek the truth? No, aside from a few people we resort to partisan bickering and “this is nothing compared to what the conservatives did.” If you are going to spew stuff like this please change political affiliation. Now, as it happens, the cites provided show that Air America is doing their best to repay the loan (that they are not legally responsible for), as well as individuals who feel they may have been cheated. I cannot think of a better way for them to handle it. They have basically said, “Look, the law says we are in the clear, but we are going to cover this one anyway.” These are the points we should be bringing up, and not comparison with other scandals. We know of at least one person with Air America who was responsible and he has been terminated (though we aren’t completely certain of the cause). The only question left is, “Did anyone else know?” This is what we should be asking about. If they did not, then the penalties that **Mr. Moto** quite correctly calls for should be applied to him only. If it can be shown that greater involvement from the company itself was involved than the courts should justifiably punish them. I just don’t see why there is any question to this. Yes it is less important than Coingate (God I hate it when they just stick the word gate at the end of something) but that does not mean it is _un_important. How can we hope for reasoned debate rather political defesiveness on an issue like Carl Rove when we do no better. ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2005, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-money-for-kids-and-seniors-embezzled-into-air-america/314369/90 "2005-07-29T21:12:21Z")
> [@flight](#): > > The one truly liberal non-print media outlet has a scandal. Self-correction: I forgot the internet, but perhaps the word major would have fixed that. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2005, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-money-for-kids-and-seniors-embezzled-into-air-america/314369/91 "2005-07-29T21:54:51Z")
> [@flight](#): > > The one truly liberal non-print media outlet has a scandal. I just don’t follow you. There is no evidence of wrongdoing by the folks currently at Air America. No evidence whatsoever. There IS evidence that the folks currently at Air America are taking steps to rectify the situation. There is no evidence whatsoever that anyone EVER at Air America embezzled funds. None whatsoever. Once more, **Moto** has overstepped. Had the OP been titled, “Ex-member of Air America engineered illegal loan!” then he would’ve been on solid ground. But then, that wouldn’t have been so flamboyant; it wouldn’t have looked like that big a deal. Instead, he came up with a misleading, hyperbolic title in order to make it appear that Air America is corrupt. IT’S NOT. They had a bad apple, so they fired him; and they’re taking steps to rectify that apparently unethical deals that he made. The liberals here aren’t twisting to try to avoid blame. Blame falls appropriately on Cohen and Rosen (I believe); and liberals here are happily giving them blame. What liberals aren’t willing to do is to go along with a smear attempt at a blameless party–the folks currently at Air America. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-money-for-kids-and-seniors-embezzled-into-air-america/314369/92 "2005-07-30T01:38:53Z")
I don’t know that current leadership is so blameless. I have a bunch of questions. The current owners of Air America would presumably have known of the troubling financial arrangements between the Gloria Wise Center and Progress Media last year, when they assumed ownership of Air America. Yet they chose to maintain a business arrangement themselves with the center until only a few months ago. Again, this is a fact not in dispute. Now, why would Air America and Piquant LLC maintain this arrangement if they knew that the finances of the Gloria Wise Center were corrupted, and corrupted in a way that could prove embarassing to the existing company? ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-money-for-kids-and-seniors-embezzled-into-air-america/314369/93 "2005-07-30T01:58:22Z")
> [@Mr. Moto](#): > > I don’t know that current leadership is so blameless. I have a bunch of questions. > > The current owners of Air America would presumably have known of the troubling financial arrangements between the Gloria Wise Center and Progress Media last year, when they assumed ownership of Air America. Yet they chose to maintain a business arrangement themselves with the center until only a few months ago. > > Again, this is a fact not in dispute. > > Now, why would Air America and Piquant LLC maintain this arrangement if they knew that the finances of the Gloria Wise Center were corrupted, and corrupted in a way that could prove embarassing to the existing company? Dude, you’re a totally dishonest debater. You only asked one question. 😛 Now I have a question (no dishonesty there). By maintaining a business arrangement, are you referring to the fund raisers or is there something else? I’m going to say initially that they maintained the arrangement because they were stuck with it. The loan had already happened, and I’m not sure if the station could hand it back in a lump sum. And as bad as this looks, it would look much worse if they told the center to puck off as soon as they took over the station. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-money-for-kids-and-seniors-embezzled-into-air-america/314369/94 "2005-07-30T03:06:22Z")
[http://www.airamericaradio.com/press/gloriawise](http://www.airamericaradio.com/press/gloriawise) > [@](#): > > Statement from Air America Radio: > > If the allegations of mismanagement and corruption at Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club are true, it is absolutely disgraceful. > > As reported in the Wall Street Journal and the HBO Documentary, Left of the Dial‚ the company that the Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club officials gave money to, Progress Media, has been defunct since May 2004. That company was run at the time by Evan Cohen who has not had any involvement in Air America Radio since May 2004. > > The current owners of Air America Radio have no obligation to Progress Media’s business activities. We are very disturbed that Air America Radio’s good name could be associated with a reduction in services for young people, which is why we agreed months ago to fully compensate the Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club as a result of this transaction. **Mr. Moto** , get a clue already that Cohen and the Boy’s club are the parties investigated, whatever deal AA then struck with the Gloria Wise club after that is their business, my gut feeling is that that compensation included shilling for the center in the way of payments. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-money-for-kids-and-seniors-embezzled-into-air-america/314369/95 "2005-07-30T03:22:28Z")
> [@Mr. Moto](#): > > In light of this, and assuming all this is true, of course, what should Air America do to make restitution? Merely paying back the money isn’t enough if laws were broken, in my opinion. > > Also, did the hosts have any knowlege of this arrangement? I don’t know that they did, but they should now that this news is breaking. What obligation do they have to their listeners to come clean? Just as a reminder of where we started with this thing. It seems to me Air America has… [ul] [li]Come clean with its listening public[/li][li]Been open with the press[/li][li]Paid back the money or come to some other sort of agreement[/li][li]Gotten rid of the accused party[/li][/ul] So, **Moto** , to turn this back around, what else do you think Air America, wich was not itself involved in this deal to start with, needs to do? What else are you accusing the network and its hosts of doing wrong? ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-money-for-kids-and-seniors-embezzled-into-air-america/314369/96 "2005-07-30T09:42:54Z")
> [@Mr. Moto](#): > > I don’t know that current leadership is so blameless. I have a bunch of questions. > > The current owners of Air America would presumably have known of the troubling financial arrangements between the Gloria Wise Center and Progress Media last year, when they assumed ownership of Air America. Yet they chose to maintain a business arrangement themselves with the center until only a few months ago. > > Again, this is a fact not in dispute. > > Now, why would Air America and Piquant LLC maintain this arrangement if they knew that the finances of the Gloria Wise Center were corrupted, and corrupted in a way that could prove embarassing to the existing company? It’s not? 😕😕😕 ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-money-for-kids-and-seniors-embezzled-into-air-america/314369/97 "2005-07-30T12:31:10Z")
> [@Mr. Moto](#): > > Again, this is a fact not in dispute. You Republicans ought to be familiar with a certain question: What did they know, and when did they know it? For your “presumably” allegations to stick, you need to demonstrate that the folks currently at Air America knew about the illegal loan for a significant period of time before they started doing anything about it. You’ve come nowhere close to demonstrating that. Your desire to spatter mud on Air America is looking increasingly hysterical. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![boret](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@boret](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boret)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-money-for-kids-and-seniors-embezzled-into-air-america/314369/98 "2005-07-30T19:51:59Z")
**Anatomy of a Smear Campaign** After falling into this thread, I became curious about the details and origins of this “scandal”. I was working on a blog entry of my own about it, but someone else at Daily Kos beat me to it. Here’s the link to that diary, if anyone is interested: > **[THE SOURCE for the "Air America stole from poor children" claim](https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2005/7/30/134716/-)** > > \[See update at the end of this post\] > > It's fun to check in with Memeorandum now and then to see what the righties are linking to. Yesterday they were swarming like flies to a carcass to a story t... Turns out the origin was an article in the “Bronx News” by Michael Horowitz. If you go back to the original OP links cited in this thread, you’ll see that the Gotham Gazette linked article has been “disappeared” (although it is still cached). The Gotham Gazette link Mr. Moto cited used the “Bronx news” article as its source. And the “Bronx News” used _anonymous_ “informed sources” for its information. The Bronx News appears to be one of those community newspapers that is basically an advertising circular. They don’t have a website. I’m local (NYC) but I’ve never seen nor heard of them (anyone here in the Bronx?). Other than the NY Daily News blurbs (which did not mention Air America Radio), that’s all there is. Most of the “cites” on the right-wing blogs pushing this story are to each other. And all they’ve got are guilt by association, speculation and disinformation, and leading questions. NYC DOI hasn’t even categorized this as a “criminal” investigation. The only on record statement from them so far is “No Comment”. And that’s about it. But consider what has transpired from this: The Washington Times published an editorial, and it was featured on a segment of CNN’s Inside Politics (all the details are in the diary I cited, if you’re not nodding off already). The other thing is: They elicited a response from Air America Radio. Which of course they then “analyzed” for incriminating evidence, leading to even more speculative “questions”. And of course, it has spread to message boards like this one, and people are engaging in “debates” about it. Pretty ingenious, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-money-for-kids-and-seniors-embezzled-into-air-america/314369/99 "2005-07-30T21:05:06Z")
> [@boret](#): > > **Anatomy of a Smear Campaign** […]And of course, it has spread to message boards like this one, and people are engaging in “debates” about it. > > Pretty ingenious, isn’t it? Very nicely done. This is a technique that the right has used to smear mud for a long time. This is what I was getting at referring to others at other websites bringing this up as a counter to the Rove thing. Nobody in their right (meaning sane) mind would really see it that way, but locksteppers acting on their talking point orders have no problem trying to link them up. This is also why I asked **Mr. Moto** where he came by this old and already-resolved story with such fresh outrage. One clear sign that a person is a member of the zombie army of the right is the use of “Hey, I’m just asking questions. Innocently looking for answers, I am. Not a partisan smear campaign, no sirree!” (See many posts by **Sam Stone** , including a recent one on Karl Rove in which he simply and kindly offered to summarize the story going around on rightward leaning blogs for us.) I think it is disgraceful that someone with any integrity would allow themselves to be used as a tool of the right. Apparently **Mr. Moto** feels no shame about pushing such a story on us here. Clearly he kept on it like a pit bull on a T-bone. At least many others on the right have correctly identified this as a lame effort, if they have not come out to condemn it outright. ---
**Author:** ![boret](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@boret](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boret)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-money-for-kids-and-seniors-embezzled-into-air-america/314369/100 "2005-07-30T21:32:03Z")
To be fair, Hentor, I don’t blame Mr. Moto directly. I don’t know him. But I do know that it is very easy to read things on blogs that match your ideology and get pumped up. I think the important thing we can learn from this is how to influence public opinion. “Inappropriate use of funds” by a NYC granted program is not a “Wow”. It is endemic here, and more importantly, it is a _bi-partisan_ problem. If it wasn’t, you would have seen the pols on one side or another latch on to this story like flies on shit. The silence is telling. But not surprising for anyone familiar with local politics here. The “beef” I would have with people like Mr. Moto is that he falls into the trap. Rather than combat this corruption as a bi-partisan effort, he will most likely (yes, I am assuming) lose interest once the goal of smearing an ideological opponent is achieved. So who wins, in the end? Hint: It’s neither “the left” nor “the right”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-money-for-kids-and-seniors-embezzled-into-air-america/314369.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-money-for-kids-and-seniors-embezzled-into-air-america/314369.md?page=6)